The key is the ethics of Master Guardian Angels. Even though they are assigned individual people to watch over, from time to time they help other people when they are on break from their own. They do this simply out of professional courtesy, and the reasoning goes like this: If a situation arises where an off-duty MGA can intervene, it must be because that person’s regular MGA is on break, and an apprentice has been left in charge. Helping out apprentices is every MGA’s responsibility, so helping out in a pinch is regarded as a favor rather than one-upmanship or working the other side of the street. No MGA feels like his toes were stepped on, and the apprentice gets a valuable learning experience.
That policy of professional courtesy gives rise to the strategy for discovering an MGA. All Harding needed to do was catch one handling an emergency like only an MGA can, and then he would have his proof. As luck would have it, it didn’t take long for that opportunity to arise.
Like I said at the beginning of this story, Harding expected the opportunity to come up at Earl’s Grill. After he did the research and developed that strategy, he made it a habit to patronize Earl’s more often. He started eating there every day rather than once or twice a week like before, and he also started varying the times he visited. He thought that would increase his chances of running into the suspected MGAs.
How quickly he got the chance to verify his theory surprised him.
After the angels came in and sat down, they ordered some coffee and started talking about some plans to go to the beach, and Harding felt fortunate to be able to overhear them. Soon the younger one brought up the subject of his earlier meeting with God. He said, “So my meeting about Princess Di seemed to go better than I anticipated.” Harding thought he was going to say more, but the older one spoke up, “You do seem in good spirits, so I suspected you didn’t get such a bad reassignment. Who will you get, by the way?”
“A young woman named Monica Lewinski. She works as an intern at the White House, so she never does anything dangerous or threatening. The only thing interesting about her at all is that she likes to fool around with the President. I can see that leading only to trouble. I wish I could get her out of that situation, but you know the rule: No meddling with our human’s affairs. And there is always the possibility that if the story of her indiscretions with the President becomes public in the right way, it could actually work out in her favor.
“I’m glad I got assigned to her. God’s first idea would’ve sucked for me. He originally wanted to assign me to the paparazzi on the motorcycle that ran Princess Di off the road, but I pointed out that James was already doing a great job for him. Besides, I have a much better track record with women.”
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